Over the past few years, the Glades Region of Palm Beach County, including Belle Glade, Pahokee, and South Bay, has attracted nearly 400 jobs to the area as a result from the Business Development Board’s economic development efforts, in partnership with LORE and Palm Beach County. From manufacturing to technology, it’s been a diverse group of industries recruited to the area. These efforts have not only brought new opportunities to local residents, but have made unique connections throughout the community.
TechGarage has expanded to Belle Glade and hired Robotics coaches from Palm Beach State College’s Belle Glade campus. Tellus Products created 100 jobs in Belle Glade and is now selling its sugarcane plates on Amazon.com. Dos Primos Supermarket, Harmack Company, Florida Community Health Centers and Glades Formulating Company have also brought dozens of job opportunities to the Glades Region.
However, encouraging this type of growth in the area doesn’t just happen overnight. In fact, the BDB has a full time staff member, Shereena Coleman, Vice President of Business Facilitation and the Glades Region, constantly fostering relationships and overseeing the BDB’s attraction and expansion efforts in the Glades Region. On average each year, the BDB provides nearly 100 points of assistance to local companies, attends 15 community outreach meetings, and visits over 20 local companies in the Glades Region. These efforts provide one-on-one technical assistance and transactional “matchmaking” with financiers, talent developers, procurement specialists, government officials, and real estate resources to name a few. This strategy has resulted in nearly 200 additional possible jobs for the region from fostering and helping these companies grow.
In addition to offering assistance to local companies, the BDB is actively marketing the region as an ideal business location to companies across the nation. There’s a dedicated microsite, www.pbcglades.org, and a new brochure, both utilized to showcase the assets and advantages to locating a company in the Glades Region. There are also national outreach efforts in action, including the BDB’s digital ad campaign, annual “Profile” magazine, and quarterly “Palm Beach County Business” magazine that highlight why it’s a strategic location.
“The Glades Region is the crossroads for 12 million people in South Florida and is within a 100-mile radius of most of the state’s population. With plenty of developable land available, it’s a strategic location for business,” said Shereena Coleman, Vice President of Business Facilitation and the Glades Region.
